2/5

MP ($400) has been limp/calling all afternoon. Ive been increasing my raise sizing and he still keeps limp calling. However now he makes his first raise in 2+hrs and opens to $15.

Hero ($1000) decides to just call OTB being wary of MPs first raise. The session has been a roller coaster of epic proportions and Hero is on monkey tilt and its pretty obvious to everyone although Hero hasnt made any openly stupid plays while on tilt. (other than maybe flat calling $15 with QQ but that was a calculated decision. I actually 3 bet wider than most)

BB (covers) 3 bets to $75. He's one of the strongest players in the room.

MP folds.

Hero calls being pretty certain that he is ahead and BB is squeezing after a small raise and a weak call from hero.

Flop ($165). KsTd3c. BB bets $85. Hero calls
Turn ($335) 4s. BB checks. Hero checks back
River ($335) Ts. BB checks. Hero bets $100. BB check raises to $325.

Factors

1) BB is one of the top 3 players in the room
2) BB knows Hero is one of the top 3 players in the room
3) River check raise is almost never a bluff
4) BB knows Hero is on tilt
5) Heros hand is very under repped
6) Hero cant find a single hand that BB would play this way for value.

Call or fold?

V could play AJss or AQss this way, or frankly AA though you block a lot of those hands. Against a solid, competent V I think you can call here, but fold against the bottom 90+% of the room.

maybe KK that is hoping you flopped Tx and improved on river?

I think V can have a range of hands including fd’s that we’re planning to cr turn

When you bet 100 otr were you bet calling or bet folding ?

Mike: do you have the Qs?

I 3bet here OTB, especially on tilt ( throw it out there a little aggressive like ) , can play the part a bit as long as you don't over do it , like make it kinda subtle

AP...I would call flop as well

I think turn could go either way , could go for value OTT, I think he could have some draws here , some TX, weaker PP's ,

I think after X'ing turn, X'ing river back bc board pairs and 3rd spade so getting called from worse is gonna be a lot harder

I'm not sure what he is X/R'ing here, I think he would lead his TX bc your hand is under repped here so looks like you would X back,

you're getting great price to call OTR and sounds like he's capable of having some bluffs here, idk it's a strange line for sure, could be a weak PP that feels is no longer good and has to make a move to win

you're getting 3.38 to 1

Should have three bet pre
Then hand is easy to play
This is a haiku

Are you a bot?

Cant remember but I dont think so

as played I think it's a fold. Unless you think he could have complete air.

Though I also love a good haiku, I’m ok with the preflop strategy in position for balance etc against known, skilled V. I would probably 3b but I’m not anywhere near as good as Mike.

Flop and turn action has capped H’s range. H might turn check back a lot of his draws and JJ and some KQs. V will obviously have a hard time putting H on QQ.

Only value V might take this line with is TT and AsQs. So narrow. I think he has more bluffs and JJ here than nut flush, KK/TT. H has few Tx in his range and river T makes it extremely unlikely H has Tx anyway.

I can find a call here getting a very good price. River card is just a great bluff spot for him against H capped range.

3b pre, I'm not a big fan of putting so much thought into this particular read. He could be card dead this entire time and bored, it's live poker, people get bored and make mental mistakes, and his strategy is obviously not sophisticated. The fact that you're on self described tilt and you 3b wider than most means you should 3b QQ. And the fact that MP folded shows he didn't have KK/AA so you were not very accurate ranging him this way.

What do you think he's going to call you with on the river?

"3) River check raise is almost never a bluff
4) BB knows Hero is on tilt"

So why would we think of calling here? Would BB check raise the river with nothing against a tilting player?

The branches of life
Start with our preflop choices
Healthy tree bears fruit

The precious water
Flows from a hidden spring
The riches of life

I think you played it fine. If BB has the same read as you as MP I doubt he's squeezing wide.

Now fold. Unless you have a hecka read I think trying to pick up river raise bluffs at this level is a losing game.

Smell that? Smells like A10s.

If you're on the fence about calling with QQ here a good way to decide is if you have a spade in your hand.
From Vs position it doesn't look like you have a flush very often as you'd likely bet any back door flush draws which floated flop on the turn.
You also are unlikely to have anything stronger as KK unlikely to flat twice pre and TT has only 1 combo which will likely bet turn anyway.

It looks like you have trips here so I would expect a stronger opponent to be able to turn their hand into a bluff, especially given the factors that you mention. A check-raise on the river is almost never a bluff (V knows this), V knows you're a good player (i.e. able to fold trips).


They very easily could have trips themselves here (AT) and be raising for value vs what looks like a capped range.
I'd personally prefer a check back on the river. Although you're under-repped, with the T pairing QQ falls down in your potential holdings, are you expecting JJ to make the call here?

+1

Should have back raise 4b when given the chance and been comfortable GII if V goes that route. FPS strikes again.

Why not exploit your monkey tilt image preflop and either 3b or back-4b? I mean if the answer is that you're on monkey tilt and can't avoid fps...then? i.e. I'm not sure giving advice in the sober state to be used when on tilt is going to be of much use, unless we are programming your default preflop decisions.

BB's range is value heavy (say TT+, AJs+) since the opener has a tight range and he probably expects you to call pretty light. The river c/r is quite a spot and that's what good players do - they put you to tough decisions. I can see this being a BDFD or a TPTK+ hand that decided to give you some rope. And when you bet only $100 (esp. if he has the A) it's open season for value. It's hard to believe he'd turn a bluff catcher into a bluff, knowing you could easily have Tx or a flush of your own.

Feels like JJ or similar to me. He checked river because of showdown value. He decided to turn his hand into a bluff because your smallish river bet and call/check on flop and river made him think you don't have more than a pair and are unlikely to be bluffing.

I definitely could've back raise 4b because I was confidant I was ahead. However, Im surprised some of you guys dont see the +EVness of playing certain hands a different way than standard.

I didnt 3 bet because I honestly thought there was a good shot the original raiser had AA/KK. Since I was the button there was little chance the hand would go very multiway if I just called. I was clearly wrong about MPs hand but that doesn't mean the hand is screwed up.

The BB has a different read than mine (more correct obviously), but because of that dynamic of me just calling the $15 preflop hes going to put me on some sort of speculative weak hand and try to blow me out of the pot. Why 4 bet him and let him fold most everything when I'm in position with a disguised and under repped hand? Sure, 4 betting makes the hand easier, but Im trying to win the most money. Not play hands the easiest way.

There's no way I'm folding to the flop bet so I called. Now he checks the turn. Hes not checking with Kx hardly ever. I also think he would most likely barell the turn if he picked up the flush draw to make me fold some middling pp which is what he probably thinks I have.

When he checked the river, I was 99% sure I had the best hand. I did think there was a good chance he had JJ which is why I bet the river. I probably shouldve bet more because I think my small bet couldve easily induced him to check raise bluff and that's what put me in the tough spot.

I tanked for a while. I dont think he can have a K very often. He could possibly have a suited Tx but I think he would bet the river with those hands. The only hand I think he can have that beats me is QsJs and again, I think he would bet the river with that. He cant really expect me to bet the river very often after I checked the turn back. I should pretty much only be betting Tx on the river.

So after a lot of thought, I called. He had Ah9h. My FPS worked out this time.

Make sure you don’t forget to update your player description of villain.

Which one? MP? Hes some random Ive never seen before. I dont think my description of the BB has changed after this hand. Hes pretty tough.

.

Based on this hand, what makes you think hes not?